Tom Jackson (American football, born 1951)

Early life Jackson attended John Adams High School, where he played football, baseball, and also was a wrestler. He was a fan of the Cleveland Browns and he and his father attended many games. Jackson credited his wrestling coach with developing his mental toughness and character. "He was a 140-pound guy named John Bianchi, the toughest little Italian man I ever knew. He drove us unbelievably and probably drove me more than he drove the rest of my teammates. I look back very fondly on his help building of my character." During his college career, he was a two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year selection in 1970 and 1972. His jersey number 50 was honored by Louisville in 1999. Professional (1973–1986) Jackson was selected by the Denver Broncos in the fourth round of the 1973 NFL draft. He enjoyed a 14-year career in Denver where he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection, a four-time All-Pro selection, and was voted Denver's Most Inspirational Player six times by his teammates. He also helped lead the team to championship appearances in Super Bowl XII and Super Bowl XXI. Jackson was one of only four players to play for the Broncos in both of the aforementioned Super Bowls, played nine years apart. He retired with 20 career interceptions returned for 340 total yards and three touchdowns, and eight fumble recoveries returned for 104 yards. He also recorded 13 sacks (with a season high 5-1/2) as a weak-side blitzer in Denver's 3-4 defense according to Broncos records. Jackson ranks third only to Jason Elam and John Elway on the team's all-time list of games played with 191. Jackson published Blitz: An Autobiography in 1987 which focused on his career with the Broncos. The book was written with long-time Denver Post sports columnist Woody Paige. ==Broadcasting career (1987–2016; 2019–2020)==